Apparatus for limb reeducation



June 16, 1953 D. LEROY 2,642,286

APPARATUS lfOR LIMB REEDUCATION- Filed May 12, 1952 H 16 H 1 I 1% 1 12 21 1s 12 F1013 IHVEHTORI DEHIS LgRoy Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,642,286 APPARATUS. .FOR' LIMB. REEDUCATION Denis Leroy, Rennes, France 1' ApplicationMay, 12, 1952,.Serial No. 287,381 In France May 24,1950 7 Another object is to allow ensurance of great i progressiveness in the resistance opposed to the patients movements, which is an essential condition of re-education.

According to the invention, the apparatuscomprises a cradle for reception of the limb or limbsegment to be re-educated, which cradle which can be turned in any direction on a'knee-piece provided at the top of a substantially vertical rod the foot of which is fitted onto a carriage intended to roll on a fixed table.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is made to the annexed drawings in which Fig. 2, seen from underneath.

The apparatus according to Fig. 1 is constituted by a cradle I, bent at a right angle, in which the patients limb (hand or foot) comes to rest and is maintained by a flexible and elastic band la. This cradle comprises at its under part a shell lb, by which it bears upon a ball 5 at the top of a vertical rod 4, which is fixed by its foot, by means of. a nut 2|, onto the frame of a carriage 3, having two sets of two wheels and H and similar to a roller-skate.

The cradle I isfree to turn in any direction of space, and in order to allow its fixation insuch or such position, the shell lb can be-locked onthe ball by means of a screw t, workable by means of a lever B.

5 Claims. (Cl. 2;72-57) riage frame.

The manner of operation of the apparatus is,

readily understood and does not need to be described.

The apparatus according to Figs. 2 and 3 comprises, with regard to the first, the following main improvements:

Each set of wheels is pivoted around a vertical spindle which enables each set to take on in service.

the progressive setting desired by the practitioner; each set can be locked, in such" a way that the are described can be exactly that which is desirable, and can be maintained constant during a whole'p'eriod of rel-education, be modified'at thefollow'ing period, and so on; the total weight of the apparatus-which constitutes" an element of re-education since it conditions in part the muscular effort to be exerted by the patient, is rendered adjustable. I

In these figures, l designates the cradle for reception of the limb. This cradle is provided at its under part with a ball 2, thanks to which it can take any setting, in any direction with reference to theskate or supporting carriage 3.

To this-end the fixed rod 4 of said carriage is also terminated by a ball 5, and both balls 2 and 5 areffitted into corresponding spherical sockets or" two opposite shells or jaws ii and 1,

these being capable of being tightened on said balls, in any position of the latter, by a strong screw 8, workable by means of a hand wheel or milled head 9.

As far as the supporting carriage 3 is concerned, this retains substantially the shape of a roller-skate, the gauge and base of the'two sets of wheels being suitably chosen in order to ensure-a good stability to the apparatus when Furthermore, the two sets-of wheels Iii and ill are identical and can be respectively set around vertical spindles i2 and i3, and can further be more or less locked on these spindles by means of wing nuts [4, i5, screwed onto the ends of said spindles and themselves more or less tightened on corresponding bosses I6 and I1, the latter forming one piece with the car Finally, the rod 4, fitted at the center of the carriage 3 and supporting the cradle, extends V underneath the plate forming the frame thereof, by a threaded part I8, on which a variable number of plates is can be threadeohthese being guided into grooves 29 of theframe and retained in place by anut 2|, screwed onto the end of the threaded rod [8.

The plates allow-to adjust at will the total weight of the apparatus.

It "goes without saying that the invention is I not strictly limited to the embodiments of the same which have been represented and which have just been described. Modifications of details can be brought to them within the scope of the appended claims. For instance, the

wheels of the'two rolling sets of the carriage l a v p 3 could be replaced by balls of a suitable diameter and suitably placed.

What I claim as new is:

1. An apparatus for limb re-education comprising a carriage constituted by a frame resting on two sets of wheels, a vertical rod fitted substantially at the center of said carriage, a

cradle placed at the top of said vertical rod and adapted to receive at least a section of a limb to be re-educated, a flexible band fitted onto this cradle and-adapted to maintain into said cradle the limb to be re-educated, and, between said cradle and the top of said vertical rod, connecting means adapted to allow said cradle to be set and immobilized into any position in space above said carriage frame.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for connecting said cradle and said vertical rod are constituted by a ball-and-socket joint, and a screw and nut mechanism for locking said joint.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for connecting said cradle and said vertical rod are constituted by a first ball at the top of said vertical rod, a second ball carried by the underpart of cradle, two jaws respectively disposed on both sides of the said two 4 balls and comprising sockets for reception of the said balls and means comprising a screw and nut mechanism for locking said jaws onto said balls.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which each of the sets of wheels of the carriage comprises a cross-piece, two wheels jcurnalled in the respective ends of said cross-piece, and means for fitting said cross-piece of each of the two sets of wheels respectively on each end of said carriage, this allowing the controlled setting of said cross-piece around an axis perpendicular to the carriage.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said carriage frame carries a variable number of plates in order to adjust at will the weight of said carriage.

DENIS LEROY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,916,660 Dufi July 4, 1933 2,069,384 Ogden Feb. 2, 1937 2,408,597 Belling Oct. 1, 1946 

